Chapter 1

When the cab stopped halfway up the mountain road, the driver glanced at me several times through the rearview mirror.

"Up ahead is Skyville Manor, Miss," he said. "It's private property. Cabs aren't allowed inside. Are you sure you've got the right place?"

I checked the location Dad had sent on my phone, then looked down at the tracksuit I was wearing. It was the same one I'd thrown on in a rush to catch my flight. It had been so comfortable that I hadn't even bothered changing for two days.

I nodded. "This is it. Thanks."

After I got out, I pulled the brim of my cap lower.

Dad really did whatever popped into his head.

Last night, out of nowhere, he'd called to tell me he had arranged a blind date for me.

The guy was from the Gray family and was supposedly handsome and talented. To show sincerity, the meeting was specially arranged at this very manor—one of the properties under my name that had been sitting idle.

Specially chosen, huh? More like he wanted to use my place to show off.

I raised my head and looked toward the gate in the distance.

The black wrought-iron gates, usually solemn and imposing, were now wrapped in layers of pink balloons. A banner hung across the top, and on it were bold letters.

"Wedding Celebration of Julian Gray and Bianca Reed."

I froze.

Wedding?

Dad said this was just a blind date. So why did this Mr. Gray jump straight to setting up a wedding celebration? Was he trying to surprise me and skip ahead to marriage?

But something was off.

Who the hell was Bianca Reed?

Suppressing the anger rising in my chest, I dragged my suitcase toward the entrance. Several security guards were clustered in the guard booth, smoking.

I didn't bother with them and walked straight in.

"Hey! Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

One of the guards crushed his cigarette and blocked me with a rubber baton. "Go beg somewhere else. Do you even know where this is? Mr. Gray booked the entire venue today. Get lost."

I frowned. "I'm here for Julian Gray."

The guard sized me up, then snorted. "Looking for Mr. Gray? Who do you think you are? Do yourself a favor and look in the mirror."

Just then, a group of people walked over from inside.

The man at the front was wearing a white suit that clearly didn't fit properly, his hair slicked back until it gleamed. He was holding his phone, recording a voice message.

"Mr. Graham, the venue today is quite impressive, right? You've seen what I can do. Gray Group's future investments will depend on you. I even had a bottle of '82 Lafite flown in just for you. I'll send it over right away."

Noticing the commotion at the gate, he lowered his phone and strode over, clearly irritated.

"What's all this noise?" he snapped. "Don't you know I have important guests to entertain?"

The guard's expression immediately changed, appearing meek and obedient. "Mr. Gray, this woman here showed up dragging a busted suitcase and insists she's here to see you."

Julian turned his head, his gaze landing on me. That look in his eyes was like he was picking through rotten apples at the market.

I forced myself to stay polite. "Are you Julian Gray? I'm Vivian Brooke. My family asked me to come."

At the mention of my name, confusion flashed across his face. It then quickly turned into disdain, as if something had just clicked.

He scoffed and adjusted his bow tie.

"Vivian Brooke?" he asked as he stepped closer, the stench of cheap cologne hitting me square in the face. "Oh, right. I remember now. You're that… What's her name again?"

He scratched his head exaggeratedly. "Sorry. I've fooled around with too many women. I really don't remember anyone at your level."

My grip tightened on the handle of my suitcase. "What did you just say?"

"Drop the act." Julian waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing a fly. "What, you heard I made it big and moved into Skyville Manor, so now you're here trying to squeeze money out of me over some old nonsense? Keep dreaming!"

He pointed his finger at me, nearly poking my nose. "I've got billion-dollar deals to discuss today. I don't have time to play games with a gold-digger like you. Leave now while I'm still being polite. Otherwise, I'll make sure you won't be able to stay in Solterra."

I stared at his arrogant face. Dad might need to get his eyes checked. This was his idea of young and promising?

"You said this manor is yours?" I laughed, my voice sharp with anger. I pointed at the stone tiles beneath our feet. "Mr. Gray, lies have consequences when you take them too far."

"Oh? You've got some nerve."

Julian was about to explode when a soft, sweet voice came from behind him. "Honey, who's making you so angry? Don't get too worked up. It's bad for your health."

A woman in a floor-length mermaid gown walked out. Her makeup was exquisite, and around her neck hung a sapphire necklace so familiar it made my blood run cold.

That was my necklace.

It was the very one displayed in the manor's showcase.

My coming-of-age gift.

Chapter 2

The woman—Bianca Reed—looped her arm through Julian's, practically pressing herself against him.

She shot me a sideways glance, the hostility in her eyes undisguised. "Is she some ex who just won't let go?"

She covered her mouth and laughed. "You came dressed like that? What, did you just get off a construction site after hauling bricks?"

Julian snorted. "Who knows? She's probably gone crazy for money."

I ignored their mockery and fixed my gaze at the necklace around Bianca's neck. It was a custom piece. My initials were engraved on the back of the pendant.

"Where did that necklace come from?" I asked coldly.

Bianca instinctively reached up to touch it. Panic flashed across her face, but it was quickly swallowed by greed.

"That's none of your damn business!" she snapped.

She then deliberately puffed out her chest, making sure the necklace was even more visible.

"My husband gave it to me as a wedding gift. This is a bespoke piece worth millions of dollars. Are you jealous? I bet a poor nobody like you has never seen a real gemstone in your life."

Julian froze for a moment. He clearly had no idea where the necklace actually came from, but for the sake of appearances, he played along.

"That's right!" he said loudly. "I won it at an auction abroad for Bianca."

He looked down at me with arrogance. "What, you want one too? Crawl over and lick my shoes. Maybe then I'll toss you a few hundred bucks so you can buy a fake."

"You're still acting this righteous after stealing something," I said flatly.

I released my grip on my suitcase handle. "Fine. Since you claim you bought it, where's the receipt?"

Bianca stiffened. She quickly demanded, "Why the hell should I show you the receipt? Who do you think you are?"

Her face twisted as she yanked her phone out of her bag and started a livestream.

"Guys!" she shouted into the phone. "Look at this shameless gold-digger! Today's my big wedding, and somehow my husband's ex found out we bought Skyville Manor. Guess what? She chased us all the way here to cause trouble!"

She pointed the camera at me. "She's dirt-poor. When she saw me wearing an expensive necklace, she insisted it was something she had lost! What kind of twisted logic is that?"

Comments flooded the screen almost instantly.

"Holy shit! Skyville Manor? Isn't that place worth over a hundred million dollars? They're really filthy rich."

"She looks broke as hell. I bet she can't even afford knockoffs, and she still dares to cause a scene there?"

"Poor Mr. Gray. How did he ever get tangled up with that lunatic?"

With public opinion firmly on his side, Julian straightened his back, growing more confident. He waved at the nearby guards. "What are you waiting for? Throw this crazy woman out! Don't let her taint my property!"

Two guards rushed over and reached for my arms, one on each side.

I spun and grabbed one of them by the wrist. Using his own momentum, I twisted it hard. A sharp crack rang out as he screamed and dropped to his knees.

The other guard froze, too scared to move.

After years of kickboxing training, dealing with watchdogs like them was effortless.

I rolled my wrist and looked at Julian and Bianca. "Throw me out?"

I scoffed coldly and walked straight toward the owner's access by the side gate. "I'd like to see who dares stop me."

Julian shouted furiously from behind me, "That's password-protected! Who the hell do you think you are? You really think you can crack it?"

I didn't bother responding. Calmly, I entered the code known only to me and the estate's head butler, Darren Smith.

"Identity verification successful."

After a long beep, the heavy side door slowly slid open.

Julian and Bianca froze. They stared at me as if they'd just seen a ghost.

Chapter 3

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Julian and Bianca rushed in right behind me.

"How did you know the password!" Julian demanded as he grabbed my shoulder, his face twisted with rage. "Did you spy on the previous owner? Or are you screwing one of the cleaners here?"

He absolutely refused to believe I was the owner. With that peanut brain of his, those were the only disgusting explanations he could come up with.

I shrugged his hand off without saying a word.

Because the sight before me had stunned me speechless.

My living room, once decorated in a clean, minimalist style, had been completely ruined.

The priceless white marble coffee table was marred with several cigarette burns. The original paintings that had once hung on the walls had been taken down and tossed into a corner to collect dust. In their place were garish spray-painted posters in vulgar colors, each mounted in gaudy gold plastic frames.

And the most outrageous part was that a massive poker table sat right in the center of the living room.

Several sleazy-looking men sat around it, smoking and playing cards. Their cigarette ashes scattered all over my Porison rug like black soot.

"What the fuck. Who the hell did this?" I couldn't stop myself from swearing.

Julian thought I'd been stunned by his so-called luxurious setup and immediately grew smug again.

"What, shocked?" he sneered.

He pointed at the men at the table. "These men are all big-name bosses in Solterra. They're all here today to discuss billion-dollar projects with me. Letting you in was a favor, to show you what real elite society looks like."

He pointed at the men at the table. "These men are all major players in Solterra. They're here today to discuss billion-dollar projects with me. I let you in as a favor, to show you what real elite society looks like."

As he spoke, he strutted over to the wall and pointed at a spray painting of an oversized gold bar. "See this? This is art. What do you call it again? Ah, yes, Van Goff style."

He looked proud of himself as he continued, "I paid three million dollars to have a master create this. It symbolizes never-ending wealth. Not like those boring paintings that used to hang here. Just looking at them was bad luck."

My temples throbbed violently.

What had once hung there was "The First Breakfast" by the great artist Leonardo Russo. Now it lay beside the trash can, with half a cup of soda poured over it.

"Mr. Gray. Julian Gray, was it?"

I took a deep breath and pointed at the painting. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You threw away artworks worth hundreds of millions of dollars and replaced them with roadside prints that cost less than ten dollars apiece."

Julian looked at me with contempt. "Hundreds of millions? At least make your lies sound convincing."

Bianca chimed in with a sneer, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Honey, don't bother with her. Someone like her probably hasn't even been to an art gallery. What would she know about art? She's just jealous we have money and wants to extort us."

At that moment, the men at the table stopped playing.

One bald man with a beer belly exhaled a ring of smoke as he leered at me. "Julian, this chick might dress kind of cheap, but she's got a real nice figure. Is she an old lover of yours?"

Julian's attitude shifted instantly. "Mr. Graham, don't be ridiculous. She's just a crazy bitch I can't shake off."

He picked up the wine bottle beside him. "I've got that bottle of '82 Lafite I mentioned right here. If you like it, why not let her pour you a glass as an apology?"

Mr. Graham chuckled and reached for me. "Come on, sweetheart. Have a drink with me."

"Get lost." I snatched the wine bottle from Julian's hand and smashed it hard against the edge of the table.

The bottom shattered on impact. Red wine splashed across the floor and all over Mr. Graham.

"I'll give you three minutes," I said, my voice cold and steady. "Take off my necklace, clean this place up, and get the hell out of my house."

Chapter 4

Mr. Graham clutched the back of his hand, where blood was seeping out.

"You fucking bitch!" he howled. "How dare you hurt me!"

He spun around and roared at Julian, "Is this how you treat your guests?"

Julian was startled, and his shock quickly turned into humiliated rage. Being humiliated like this in front of an investor was probably worse for him than being dead.

"Guards!" he shouted. "Hold this crazy bitch down!"

The two guards closed in again, rubber batons raised high.

I tightened my grip on the broken wine bottle, ready to fight to the end.

Suddenly, Bianca let out a sharp scream beside me. She deliberately took a step back, and her high heels "accidentally" knocked over a crystal vase about waist-high, placed next to the entryway cabinet.

The vase smashed heavily onto the floor, shattering into pieces.

Bianca immediately pointed at me, her voice jumping an octave higher. "You lunatic! Are you out of your mind? Just to get back at us, you smashed my husband's favorite antique!"

I watched her pathetic performance coldly.

That vase wasn't extremely valuable, but it had some age to it. It was an object my grandfather had cherished when he was alive.

Julian froze for a second, then instantly caught on and followed suit.

"That crystal vase was over a thousand years old!" he shouted. "It was auctioned for five million dollars!"

He strode over, the anger on his face morphing into calculating greed. "Vivian, I was going to let you go with just a warning, but now? Looks like that's not happening.

"Five million in damages, plus another million for Mr. Graham's medical expenses. Pay every penny, or I'll make sure you rot in prison."

At those words, Mr. Graham suddenly stopped wailing. He didn't even bother with the blood on his hand anymore. His lustful gaze slid over me again as he cut in with a grin. "Julian, don't scare the young woman here."

He leaned closer to me, chuckling. "Five million dollars might be an astronomical number for you. If you had to pay it yourself, you'd never finish paying it off in this lifetime. But to me, it's pocket change.

"How about this? You come with me tonight and make me happy, then I'll cover the five million dollars for you. I'll even forget about you hurting me earlier. What do you say?"

Julian's eyes lit up instantly.

It would be killing two birds with one stone. He'd get the money and suck up to the investor.

With that thought, he immediately put on a patronizing smile. "You hear that, Vivian? Mr. Graham is giving you a chance. You should consider yourself fortunate. Why don't you hurry up and thank him?"

I nearly gagged from disgust.

This shameless couple was willing to sell me off like an object to a revolting man just to gain a little advantage.

"Five million dollars, huh? To sleep with him?"

I laughed, shaking with rage, and hurled the broken bottle at the floor. Glass shards exploded across the tiles, making Mr. Graham recoil in fear.

"Oh, we're settling the score, alright," I said coldly. "But you're the ones paying."

I took my phone out of my pocket and called the estate butler, Darren Smith. The call connected almost instantly.

"Ms. Brooke?" Darren sounded surprised. "You've arrived? I'm still on my way. The traffic's a little hea—"

"Darren, bring our men over," I cut in flatly. "There are intruders here. They're extorting money and trying to force me to entertain their people. Bring a lawyer, and also—"

Before I could finish, my hand suddenly went empty. Bianca had rushed forward and snatched my phone away. Seeing the call was still connected, she sneered and hit the speaker button.

"Hey, old man!" she barked viciously into the phone. "You're one of the extras this bitch hired, right? You're quite the actor.

"We're now in Skyville Manor, and everything here belongs to the Gray family! I'm the mistress of this house!

"No matter who you are or how many men you brought, you've got 20 minutes to deliver six million dollars in cash for this bitch's ransom! Otherwise, I'll strip her naked and livestream her parading through the streets! Understand, you old bastard?"

On the other end, the noisy background suddenly vanished.

After a few seconds of silence, Darren's voice came through again.

But it was no longer gentle. Instead, it carried a chill that sent shivers down everyone's spines.

"Very well," he said. "The mistress of Skyville Manor, is it? I hope that in 20 minutes, you'll still be able to stand on your feet when you speak to me."

Chapter 5

The call disconnected.

Bianca froze for a beat, then burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that even the selfie stick in her hand shook.

"Oh god, I can't," she said between laughs. "My stomach hurts."

She shoved the camera back toward my face, her tone exaggerated and theatrical. "Did you guys hear that? '20 minutes.' 'Bring our men over.' Wow, the lines were so smooth. If I didn't know better, I'd think we were filming a mafia movie."

Julian finally relaxed, mockery filling his eyes. "Vivian, you really know how to put on a show. That old man, did you hire him? You went all out for this little act."

He couldn't even be bothered to look at me anymore. Instead, he waved lazily at the group of his buddies who were enjoying the spectacle.

"Alright, boys, don't just stand there. Turn the music back on and keep the party going!

"20 minutes, huh? I'd love to see whether an army is going to drop from the sky, or whether this crazy bitch ends up grovelling for forgiveness."

The room erupted in laughter.

I said nothing and simply slipped my phone back into my pocket. Then I pulled over a chair and sat down.

Bianca didn't like how calm I looked. She turned back to her camera and continued to stir up her audience.

"Guys, you have to help me out. Today is my wedding day, my happy occasion, and yet this is what I have to deal with…"

As she spoke, she tilted the camera toward the floor. "This was my husband's antique crystal vase, worth five million dollars. She smashed it!

"We asked her to compensate us, but not only did she refuse, she even called someone to silence us! Does the law mean nothing anymore?"

I glanced at her phone screen. The livestream comments exploded instantly.

"This is insane. Call the police and arrest her!"

"Look at how poor she is. She's probably jealous out of her mind."

"Scum like her are a cancer to society. Doxx her!"

"Poor Bianca. Her wedding is ruined like this."

As the insults poured in endlessly, a flicker of satisfaction and triumph flashed in Bianca's eyes.

She turned her back to the camera, raised an eyebrow at me, and silently mouthed, "You're finished."

"Enough of this pointless crap," Mr. Graham snorted from the side.

He grabbed a tablecloth and wrapped it messily around his still-bleeding hand. Lust openly burned across his greasy face.

"20 minutes is too long. I'm not waiting."

He stepped toward me, slow and deliberate. "Stop playing innocent, sweetheart. That move just now was spicy. I like it. Since you don't want to pay with money, use your body instead."

Julian leaned against the wall, watching coldly. He even whistled in amusement. "Mr. Graham, go easy. Don't kill her yet. I'm still counting on her to pay me that five million."

"Relax. Relax. I know what I’m doing." Mr. Graham grinned lewdly and lunged at me.

The moment he started speaking earlier, my hand had already slipped into the side pocket of my tracksuit.

I stood and sidestepped in one swift motion, using his momentum to circle to his flank. I then raised a small red bottle straight at his eyes, slamming down on the nozzle.

It was a bottle of high-concentration pepper spray.

After years of traveling alone, I had developed the habit of carrying it. Still, I hadn't expected to use it in my own home.

A sharp red mist sprayed directly into Mr. Graham's face, and a shrill scream tore through the room. "My eyes! I'm going blind! You bitch! I'll kill you!"

He clutched his face and rolled wildly across the floor.

The turn of events was so sudden that everyone froze.

The pungent stench of pepper filled the living room. Those standing nearby began coughing violently.

"Vivian, are you insane?" Bianca screamed, nearly dropping her phone.

Julian's expression changed completely. He grabbed a solid wooden chair and charged straight at me.

"You've got some nerve causing trouble in my house!"

The guards nearby closed in, too.

Julian barked, "Hit her! If she dies, I'll handle the consequences!"

I tightened my grip on the spray bottle and backed into a corner, locking my eyes on Julian as he rushed forward.

One bottle wasn't much, but it would be enough to take a few of these scum down with me.

Just as Julian raised the chair, the ground began to vibrate faintly. Buzzing sounds soon turned into a massive roar from outside the windows.

Everyone jumped.

Julian froze and looked up instinctively. "What was that? An earthquake?"

Through the floor-to-ceiling window, I saw the pink balloons near the front gate explode and scatter in all directions. Over a dozen helicopters hovered over the estate, whipping the air into violent currents as they descended.

On the wall, the clock's minute hand hit the final mark.

20 minutes. Not a second late.